Mental health conditions are the leading cause of maternal death in the U.S. — responsible for nearly 1 in 4 pregnancy-related deaths. More than hemorrhage. More than cardiac failure. And yet, 1 in 5 mothers will experience a maternal mental health condition and 75% of them will never receive treatment.
A door opened in 2006. Most of the country still hasn’t walked through it.
Postpartum Support International was founded in 1987 in Santa Barbara to generate awareness around the emotional changes experienced following birth. By the 1990s, PSI hosted annual conferences and launched postpartum.net — the first website dedicated to postpartum mental health. But awareness alone wasn’t policy. By 2004, no hospital in America was required to ask a new mother how she was doing mentally. No screening. No protocol. Just discharge papers and a newborn.
Mary Jo Codey — First Lady of New Jersey — changed that. She publicly shared her own experience with postpartum depression when the word itself was barely spoken out loud, then turned that courage into action. When her husband became Acting Governor, Mary Jo didn’t just speak — she built a playbook. She launched a statewide campaign featuring herself in radio and TV public service announcements. She helped train more than 4,500 clinicians to screen and treat. And she worked with her husband to shepherd the bill through the legislature — passing unanimously in committee and unanimously in the Assembly. It took effect in October 2006 and became known as Mother’s Law.
Carrying the Flag
Today, the Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health is on a mission to end the suffering caused by untreated maternal mental health disorders. They publish county-level risk maps, research briefs, and model legislation — and have been behind some of the most significant federal and state maternal mental health laws of the last decade. The Policy Center trains state agency leaders, sets standards for insurers and hospitals, and every year convenes lawmakers, administrators, and advocates to move the work forward. Their annual state report cards hold every state publicly accountable — grading each one on how well they’re actually addressing the crisis.
Black and Brown mothers face the steepest climb — and the least support. Black Girls Mental Health Foundation is changing that. With offices in Oakland and Long Beach, they fund free therapy for mothers who can’t afford it, train doulas and clinicians in culturally responsive perinatal mental health care, and build the research base that systemic change requires. Their work is a direct answer to a system that has never been designed with Black women in mind.
Still Waiting on a National Standard
Mary Jo Codey started building something in 2004. Postpartum Support International has been building since 1987 — training providers, supporting families, and refusing to let this issue stay invisible. The Policy Center for Maternal Mental Health is mapping exactly how far every state still has to go. Black Girls Mental Health Foundation is making sure the mothers most likely to be left out aren’t left behind. Together, they represent what this work actually looks like: relentless, specific, and refusing to quit.
This Women’s History Month, we honor Mary Jo Codey’s truth-telling — and every advocate who has refused to let that truth get buried under bureaucracy, budget cuts, or silence. The fight for maternal mental health isn’t history. It’s happening right now. And it won’t stop until every mother and birthing person gets the care they deserve.
Take Action:
Sign the petition — Tell Congress to fund the maternal mental health programs that are saving lives.Add your name here.
Follow and amplify — Support the organizations carrying this work forward: @policycentermmh and @blackgirlsmentalhealthfoundation.
Apply for free therapy — If you’re a Black or Brown mother in California who needs support, the Black Girls Mental Health Foundation offers free sessions. Learn more here.
Call your rep — Ask them to protect and fund maternal mental health programs in the FY2027 budget. Find your rep at house.gov or senate.gov.
